Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. As of 2010, the population was 269,282. The county seat is Edwardsville, Illinois, home to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The largest town in the county is Alton, Illinois known for its abolitionist and American Civil War-era history. It is also the home of Southern Illinois University Dental School. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 97.93%) is land and (or 2.07%) is water. Madison County is on the Mississippi River, while the other major body of water is Horseshoe Lake. Major expressways and highways Adjacent counties * Bond County - east * Clinton County - southeast * Jersey County - northwest * Macoupin County - north * Montgomery County - northeast * St. Charles County, Missouri - northwest * St. Clair County - south * St. Louis, Missouri - west * St. Louis County, Missouri - west History Illinois Counties 1900-1990 }} Madison County was established on September 14, 1812. It was formed from parts of Randolph and St. Clair counties and named for President James Madison. At the time of its formation, Madison County included all of the modern State of Illinois north of St. Louis, as well as all of the modern state of Wisconsin and part of Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In the late 19th century, Madison County became an industrial powerhouse, and in the 20th century, was known for first, Graniteware, and later, its steel mills, oil refineries, and other heavy industry. It had a large working-class population, and the county and surrounding area became known as a center of strength for the Democratic Party. Industrial restructuring drew off many jobs and population. Today, the county is part of the semi-rural, sparsely populated eastern portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area (nicknamed "Metro East") along with neighboring St. Clair County. In 2009, the EPA issued an air pollution report that ranked Madison County as the county with the second-highest cancer risk in the country due to air pollution, second only to Los Angeles County, California. File:Madison County Illinois 1812.png|Madison County between its creation in 1812 and 1815, extending north to Lake Superior and the border with Rupert's Land File:Madison County Illinois 1815.png|Madison County between 1815 and 1817 File:Madison County Illinois 1817.png|Madison County between 1817 and 1821 File:Madison County Illinois 1821.png|Madison County between 1821 and 1825 File:Madison County Illinois 1825.png|Between 1825 and 1829, Madison included a northern salient that was split off to form part of Macoupin County. File:Madison County Illinois 1829.png|In 1829 Madison returned to its 1821 borders. File:Madison County Illinois 1843.png|In 1843 a small amount of land was transferred to Bond County, reducing Madison to its current size. Demographics As of the U.S. Census of 2000, there were 258,941 people, 101,953 households, and 70,041 families residing in the county. The population density was 357 people per square mile (138/km²). There were 108,942 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile (58/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.23% White, 7.31% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.2% were of German, 11.6% American, 10.4% Irish and 9.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 101,953 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $41,541, and the median income for a family was $50,862. Males had a median income of $39,857 versus $25,968 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,509. About 7.20% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over. Political subdivisions Cities * Alton * Edwardsville * Granite City * Highland * Madison * Troy * Venice * Wood River Villages * Alhambra * Bethalto * East Alton * Glen Carbon * Godfrey * Grantfork * Hamel * Hartford * Livingston * Marine * Maryville * New Douglas * Pontoon Beach * Roxana * South Roxana * St. Jacob * Williamson * Worden Unincorporated communities * Cloverleaf * Cottage Hills * Dorsey * Dunlap Lake * Eagle Park * Glen * Holiday Shores * Kaufman * Lumaghi Heights * Mitchell * Peters * Prairietown * Rosewood * Rosewood Heights * State Park Place Townships Madison County is divided into twenty-four townships: * Alhambra * Alton * Chouteau * Collinsville * Edwardsville * Fort Russell * Foster * Godfrey * Granite City * Hamel * Helvetia * Jarvis * Leef * Marine * Moro * Nameoki * New Douglas * Olive * Omphghent * Pin Oak * Saline * St. Jacob * Venice * Wood River Transportation Madison County Transit serves the county with 25 bus routes and 85 miles (137 km) of bike trails. Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Edwardsville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison County, Illinois References External links *Madison County website Category:Counties of Illinois Category:Established in 1812 Category:Madison County, Illinois Madison County, Illinois Category:Counties of Illinois on the Mississippi River